The Difference a Day MakesFrom "The Difference a Day Makes: 65 Ways to Change Your World in Just 24 Hours" by Karen JonesPosted by: DailyOM

In the winter of 2002, I was feeling permanently bruised by a series of traumatic national events. The shootings at Columbine High School, the murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming, the dragging of James Byrd behind a pickup truck until he died, and, finally, the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center first devastated me, then kindled a new and powerful resolve. I went looking for a way to help — to restore my faith in human kindness. But every volunteer coordinator wanted more time than I had available; every charity wanted a check that my bank balance wouldn’t support; and every Web search overwhelmed me with more data and decisions than I could process. I was sure that doing something good didn’t have to be so difficult.

I began to research and compile the simple actions in this book for every well-intentioned person who’d rather make an effort than write a check but who simply can’t find room in a hectic week for a sustained volunteer commitment. Each suggested action, in sixteen “helping” categories, can be started and finished in the course of a single day — some in five minutes — and none requires a cash donation. You can outfit a homeless person for a job interview, fund hunger relief (at no cost to you) with the click of a mouse, and help a troubled child earn awards in the arts. With “365 Ways to Change Your World in Just 24 Hours,” you can set a goal of accomplishing a different step each day of the year. You can also activate the same tool, such as a click donation, every day. Or you can choose an issue that inspires the “everyday altruist” in you and take the actions in the relevant chapter as time permits.

“The Difference a Day Makes” turns the conventional model of volunteering — a few advocates doing enormous amounts of work — on its ear. It prescribes small change on a mass scale, which can be equally powerful. The book is not intended as a guide for fervent activism, but rather as a daily practice for personal and even spiritual growth through small, empowering acts of humanity. The causes themselves may be less important than your decision to overcome inertia and take a purposeful step. In addition to your personal use, this book may be used by community groups to implement service projects, by schools to engage students in compassionate action, by nonprofit groups as a thank-you to donors, and by businesses to boost employee morale with lively incentives for service. Its potential to create a chain of benevolence around the world is yours to launch.

Don’t get me wrong; our world needs the check- writers and the formal volunteers who devote hours every day, week, or month to keep charitable efforts thriving. This book is for the considerable numbers of others who can help in other ways, if only you know where to start. With these first steps, you may discover a passion for a particular issue that makes you want to do more. Doing for others brings a joyous rush. You can’t help but feel good once you start expressing your humanity — a phenomenon I call “philantherapy.” We’ve spent decades consuming self-help, when perhaps selfless help is the key to fulfillment and inner peace.

In time, practicing simple, everyday altruism gives you a glimpse of the grander notion that you can enrich your inner life by looking outward. We can all reconnect with our best intentions, tune in to our shared humanity, and reclaim our influence in a society that has convinced us, for too long, that individuals are insignificant. And we can do it without examining our navels, quitting our jobs, or running off to a religious retreat. We can do it, in fact, in just a few minutes a day.

You can start right away. Every day for a week, take the simple actions that resonate with you. Notice how it feels to demonstrate kindness routinely. Reclaim your influence and your vital role in a world you can change. You’ll discover that the difference a day makes, while significant for recipients, is greatest for the giver.